Wish Fulfillment
by DixieH
Summary: Bobby gives Alex a gift. Has he lost his mind or his heart?
1. Chapter 1

**LOCI belongs to Dick Wolf etal. No copyright infringement intended or implied.**

**Bobby gives Alex a gift. Has he lost his mind or his heart? This story is told entirely from Alex's point of view. Thanks to likeit who demanded more fluff and less angst****. Although it occurs to me that it's not very "fluffy" to begin with. And thanks to cifan who helped with the research. All errors and omissions are my own. - Dix.**

_**Wish Fulfillment**_

Bobby came back to his desk shaking his head. Eames glanced up from the computer screen and caught his expression. "What's up?" She asked.

"You're gonna be pissed." He said.

She raised her eyebrows and cocked her head. "Holiday schedule's posted." He said. It was a month before Thanksgiving.

Eames sighed loudly. "Just not Christmas Eve." She said. "Tell me I'm not working Christmas Eve."

"Sorry." He said pulling out the chair at his desk and dropping into it. "We're both on the schedule: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the 26th too."

"Jeez, Bobby. I thought you said you didn't break any hearts in personnel this year." Eames closed the laptop with a snap and pushed it away.

Bobby shrugged and looked away. "It's not that." He said finally. "I wanted New Year's Eve."

Eames leaned in scowling. "What does that have to do with me?" She asked. "We're not joined at the hip. We take different days off all the time."

"Ah actually," Bobby said lowering his voice to a whisper and avoiding her gaze. "I requested it."

Eames leaned back in the chair. Her expression hardened. Bobby looked her way. She bit her lip and stood up. She leaned forward palms on the desk. "You're saying you screwed up my holiday on purpose?" Her tone was low and threatening.

Bobby swallowed hard and nodded once. Eames shook her head slowly, then without a word stalked away towards the vending machines in the hall. He watched her go.

She came back slightly calmer and with every intention of somehow changing the unchangeable schedule. And if that didn't work, she'd call in sick. She'd drop her cell in the toilet. She'd change her name, but she was not, absolutely not, missing Christmas with her nieces and nephews. It wasn't happening.

When she got back, Goren's desk was clear and his binder was gone. Propped against the cup which held her pencils was a rectangular green envelope. In Goren's tidy hand, it said "Alex". She sat down and looked at it without touching it. She cast a glance around expecting to see him in some corner, watching, but he wasn't in sight.

She sighed then and snatched up the envelope, tearing at the seal and pulling out the card inside. It was a Christmas card and it wasn't even Halloween. On the cover was a single yellow star over a manger scene. Inside the pre-printed sentiment said, "It's always merry and bright when you're around."

He'd never given her a Christmas card before. They'd never given one another gifts. Inside he'd written, "I hope this makes up for Christmas" and signed his name. A triangle of tape anchored a rectangular ticket to the inside of the card. She turned the card to read the ticket. She had to read it twice before she believed it. The ticket was admission to easily the best New Year's Eve bash in the city. _Giorgio__'__s on the Park._ Renowned for its fine dining, live music and extraordinary location and scenery Giorgio's was the most sought after location for special occasions. Her parents hoped to go there to celebrate an anniversary one day and it was on her own wish list. It was something to be hoped for, desired even, but never attained.

She released the breath she'd been holding and considered. One ticket. Goren had arranged for them both to have the evening off. Clearly he had the other ticket and was expecting her to go as ~ as his date? If the imprint on the ticket was to be believed, he'd spent a thousand dollars on both tickets. A thousand dollars of ready cash Goren couldn't begin to have. Hell she'd have trouble coming up with that much to blow on a single evening.

It didn't take her long to figure it out. After all Alex Eames was one of New York's finest. There wasn't any doubt. Robert Goren had finally lost his mind.

**_Thanks for reading. More to come as I edit the other chapters. - Dix._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wish Fulfillment**

**Chapter 2**

On the way to Goren's, she rehearsed her objections. At the top of this list, New Year's Eve with Goren meant contravening the unwritten law she'd lived by for years. "I don't date cops." She said aloud. She'd broken it only once and it had led to a mountain of joys and sorrows, which she neither regretted nor wanted to repeat.

It also meant, for the first time since she joined Major Case, she'd miss spending at least a part of Christmas with her family. "I'll miss my family." She said. But she knew as soon as she said it that shifts over the holidays were typically eights and whether they were days, afternoons, or evenings, there would be hours before or after to spend playing Candyland, building snowmen and filling herself with roast turkey and green bean casserole.

Alex stood for a long minute looking at the security panel on his building before she pressed the button. She didn't want to see him. She didn't really want to look him in the eye and ask him why he was inviting her to Giorgio's. She was afraid of the answer.

"Goren," he said.

"Let me in Bobby."

"Eames," He said "Just a minute."

The panel buzzed and she pulled the door open. She took the stairs. It was a stalling tactic. He had jeans on and a t-shirt when he opened the door. His hair was damp like he'd just gotten out of the shower.

"Are you angry?" He asked closing the door behind her.

She shook her head. "Not exactly."

"Tea?" He said over his shoulder.

"Sure." She pulled off her jacket and put it on a hanger in the closet by the door. While he rattled dishes and ran water in the kitchen, she stood at the window near the sofa and looked at the lights of the city. She didn't hear him approach on bare feet until he was just behind her.

"Tea," he said and handing her the mug turned in his hand so the handle faced her.

"You have questions," he said when they were settled across the room from one another. He sat in the armchair with the good reading light beside the bookcase and she sat on the small floral sofa with the sagging seat cushions, creaky springs and the stiff nylon fabric.

"You have the other ticket?" She asked.

He nodded.

"You bought them."

"You said you'd love to go." He said.

"I said that?"

"Last Christmas, remember?" He said with a tilt of the head, considering.

She shook her head. "Honestly I can't say that I do. But it is something I've dreamed about." She paused, and then said. "I just don't recall telling you."

He shrugged.

"So _how_ did you get the tickets?"

"I bought them."

"Bobby you can't afford them!"

"None of your concern Eames."

She looked down and away shaking her head. "I could pay for mine."

He sipped his tea and looked at her. "It's better to give than receive. I want to take you."

She studied the liquid in the cup and asked, "So, this is a date?"

He smiled as though the thought pleased him. "I'm your partner," he said.

"Of course." She said and looked away feeling very foolish.

"But yes," he said, "I'd like it if it was."

Suddenly, for Eames anyway, there seemed to be not quite enough oxygen in the room. "I don't know. " She said letting her thoughts trail off. She worked very hard over the years to keep her office relationships professional. She'd hadn't dated a cop since Joe. Of all cops there was no way she could date her partner. Besides breaking the department's policy on fraternization, it would complicate her life unnecessarily. It would affect their working relationship.

Bobby saw her confusion and her concern. "It's just one night," He said to dispel her objections.

They were quiet then for a while. Finally, she said, "I'd like to go."

Bobby nodded and smiled. "Great."

Reaching for her coat a few minutes later she said. "I don't know what to think about any of this."

"Don't over think things," he said with a grin. She smirked and then she was gone.

By the time, she was home, she had moved past the important objections to the ones less formidable. Standing in front of her closet, moving the hangers back and forth, she admitted that she didn't have a decent dress ~ or shoes to wear or even a handbag to carry. Outfitting herself for an evening at Giorgio's, even one with a man she didn't intend to seduce would mean dipping into her savings. But, it was too late. She'd heard herself agree to go. Maybe Bobby wasn't the only one who was out of his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks so much for all the encouranging reviews. I haven't had an opportunity to respond personally to all of them ... yet. But they're received, read and appreciated!_ - Dix.**

**Wish Fulfillment**

**Chapter 3**

"You're what?" Colleen said.

Alex shrugged and set down her coffee cup. "I have to work over the holidays."

"No, No." Colleen said. "The other bit."

Alex sighed. "I have to work over the holidays because I'm going to Giorgio's for New Years."

"You're joking? How do you afford that?"

"Not joking and not affording it either."

"So who's the rich guy you've been keeping under wraps?"

Alex smiled into her coffee cup. For once, her only sister was jealous of her.

"Well?"

"Not a rich guy." Alex shrugged. "Just a guy."

"Just a guy." Colleen shook her head and persisted. "So how long have you been seeing him?"

Alex sighed. "We're not seeing one another." She bit her lip. Letting Colleen drag it out of her had seemed easier than telling it straight out, but now she wasn't sure.

"So you're going to Giorgio's on New Years with 'just a guy' you're not romantically involved with." Colleen was hands down the best interrogator in the family. She knew inconsistencies when she heard them and pursued illogical reasoning like a hound on the trail of a butcher shop burglar.

Alex nodded. "And I really want to borrow your shoes."

Colleen rolled your eyes. "You want the shoes," She picked up her nearly full mug and waved it as she spoke. "I want a picture, his name, his family history. What you know. I want to know."

"Well," said Alex carefully. "You already know most everything." Colleen's brows rose. "Bobby" Alex said. "It's Bobby Goren."

Colleen set the mug down hard on the table and coffee slopped over the rim, making a brown puddle on the kitchen table. Silently Colleen rose and got a cloth from the sink. She wiped up the spill without a word. After she'd rung out the cloth and draped it on the faucet, she sat down again.

"Why would he invite you?" She asked slowly.

"I don't know." Alex said.

"It's a mistake Alex. You can't get involved with _him_."

"I'm not getting involved. We're going out ~ together ~ one time. For New Years. One time." Alex picked up her coffee and drained it. "So how about the shoes?"

Colleen shook her head. "You'll regret this," She said.

"Yeah" Alex said, "But I can't afford new shoes and a dress too."

- - -

There was a knock on Alex's back door not thirty minutes after she'd come home from Colleen's. She glanced through the kitchen window and wasn't really surprised to see her mother on the doorstep. Alex and Joe had moved into the same neighbourhood after they married. She'd never seen the need to move out; except on days like today.

"Hi Mom." She said pushing open the screen door.

"I was out for my walk." Her mother said, stepping onto the rug in the entryway. "I hope you don't mind me stopping in. Colleen told me you were home this morning."

"Of course not mom. Would you like something to drink?"

"Oh I won't stay, I'm sure you have a hundred things to do on your day off."

Alex nodded. "So how are you, mom?"

"I'm concerned about you dear. Colleen told me you have plans for New Year's Eve."

Alex nodded.

"Plans with Detective Goren, is that right?"

"Yes mom."

"Well darling that concerns me and your father."

"It's just one evening."

"Yes dear I understand that you think so, but are you sure that's what Robert thinks as well?"

"Mom!"

"Your father of course is very concerned about your career. He knows as well as anybody that gossip can damage an officer's career. You have to consider these things."

Alex closed her eyes and sighed. "Mom you have to stop now."

"I'm just saying Alexandra. I've seen how Robert looks at you."

"You haven't seen him in more than a year! What do you mean how he looks at me?"

"You brought him to Aunt Enid's birthday."

"Mom I did not bring him. He dropped me off for the dinner. We were in the middle of a case."

"Yes dear but I think he has feelings for you and you need to be very careful not to lead him on." Her mother reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. "Now I've said my piece and I'll leave it at that. You're a good girl, but you don't have much experience with men so I want you to be sure to think this through. And your father wanted me to remind you of all the damage you could do if this gets around."

"Thanks, mom." Alex said nodding. Her mother's experience with men consisted entirely of her forty-eight year marriage to Johnny Eames. Alex considered the source and tried to focus on her mother's good intentions and unconditional love.

"I love you, Alexandra." She confirmed with a smile. With that, she turned and went down the back steps. Alex watched her mother disappear down the lane and wondered not for the first time what it would be like to live in New Jersey or Wisconsin.

**Thanks for reading. More to come. - Dix.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**I**__**'**__**m not sure Alex**__**'**__**s sister has been named by TPTB - if she has - oh well - in my world her name is Colleen and she owns shoes !**_

_****__**Think of the next three chapters as appetizer, entree and dessert **_- Dix.

_**Wish Fulfillment**_

_**Chapter 4**_

"Are you going to kiss him tonight?" Colleen asked. She'd arrived in time to help with Alex's hair and to deliver the promised shoes.

"What?" Alex said. Her hand stalled in mid air.

"At midnight," Colleen said. "You know the drill. First the count down, then you wish each other a 'Happy New Year' and then the kiss."

Alex pushed the pin in her hand into her hair catching a wayward tendril. She shrugged, "I haven't really thought about it." She said untruthfully. "Bobby won't kiss me," she said realistically. "A peck on the cheek maybe." She finished hopefully.

Colleen grinned and then said in her best imitation of their mother. "Keep in mind that you don't owe him anything even if he is spending five hundred big ones on you tonight."

Alex, laughing, whipped a damp facecloth off the vanity and lobbed it at her sister.

Colleen ducked, but just to be safe, she backed out of the bathroom. She was on her way to the kitchen when a movement outside the living room window caught her eye. She changed directions and moved the drapes for a better view.

"Alex," she called. "When are you expecting Bobby?"

Alex was standing in front of the full-length mirror looking at her reflection. The dress she'd chosen shimmered silver and burgundy in the light. She hoped it would have the same resplendence at Giorgio's. It fit her well, but not too closely. The neckline was low, but not plunging, the hem rested a safe distance above her knee and the skirt flared slightly to accommodate dancing. It had been a steal too. Colleen's question interrupted her thoughts. "Why?" Alex asked.

"Because," Colleen, said, pulling on her coat and her boots, "The longest limo this street has seen in a while just double parked out front. Alex came out of the bedroom. The sisters embraced. "Have a great time," Colleen gave her a warm smile. As Alex watched the back door close, the front door bell rang.

She breathed deeply and exhaled slowly. She ran her hands down her sides to smooth the dress and her fluttery nerves. Robert Goren, dressed in a tuxedo under a dark overcoat, with an armload of flowers was standing on her doorstep.

She pulled open the door and waved him in.

"I'm early," he said.

"I'm ready," she replied.

"These are for you," he said.

"Thank you" she said taking the colourful bundle of stems from him. He wiped his shoes carefully and followed her through to the kitchen. She pointed to the vase on the shelf over the fridge, and he carefully lifted it down. When the flowers were unwrapped and arranged to her satisfaction, she set the vase on the kitchen table.

"They're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them."

"Should we go?" She asked.

He nodded.

"I'll get my coat."

She'd borrowed a friend's wrap. It was taupe satin with luxurious brown and grey faux fur, lined and filled to be warm and soft. It had a hood and fell to her knee, past the hem of her dress. Bobby held it while she slid into it. She picked up her handbag and slipped on gloves,

While she locked the door, he waited on the top step then offered her his arm. When they neared the limo, the driver got out and opened the door. Inside was well lit and warm. They settled into seats across from one another. Her knees bumped his when they turned the first corner. After she was careful to brace herself.

The silence grew between them until finally Alex said. "You've gone to a great deal of trouble" she said, waving at the limo's interior "And expense." She said. "I don't know what to think."

"Once in a lifetime." He said. "I thought it would be fun to arrive in style."

"You're full of surprises. "

He gave her a small smile and looked away.

The silence stretched out again and she was grateful for it. She kept her eyes on the moving view out the windows and rehearsed the thought that had brought her this far. 'One night, just one night.' It helped her relax and simply enjoy the moment.

When she glanced his way a few minutes later, she was startled to find him looking her way with an intensity that made her wonder.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

"You look lovely." He responded.

She looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "Thank you." She said quietly. When she looked up again she found he hadn't looked away. "This is all a bit overwhelming." She said.

"The limo?" He asked.

"The flowers, the limo, this night, all of it. It would be easy to mistake your intentions."

"My intentions?" He asked.

"We're partners." She said, "Friends, but this is . . ."

"Wonderful." He said finishing her thought.

"Yes," she smiled.

"Just one night Eames." He said.

"Just one night," she agreed.

He looked away then and she saw a shadow of some emotion she couldn't identify cross his face.

_**Well, well, well - that was interesting. This was one of those chapters that almost wrote itself. Thanks for reading. Up next some meat and potatoes! - Dix.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks to LadyBlueDevil86 for providing shoe details! If you**__**'**__**re a shoe person check them out on Neiman Marcus**__**'**__** website. There**__**'**__**s a few colour choices in the fall collection that would be lovely with Alex**__**'**__**s dress.**_

_**I had hoped this story would be complete before the holidays. Unfortunately the writing demanded more time than I had available. Thank you for kind reviews thus far.**_

_**Wish Fulfillment**_

_**Chapter 5**_

Giorgio's was all lit up. Alex caught a glimpse when the long car turned right near the park. It was breathtaking. Her smile broadened the closer they drew until she was beaming. The trees along the lane leading to the restaurant's canopied entrance sparkled with lights. It took a few minutes of stopping and going before the limo halted and Giorgio's doorman opened the car door. Bobby reached for Alex and helped her out. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and together they walked towards the entrance.

Inside was beautiful beyond her expectations. Everything glittered. They stopped at the coat check and traded their coats for two claim tickets which Bobby slipped into his pocket. Then they presented their tickets to the maitre d' who took them and checked his guest list. "Ms. Eames," he said with a glance in her direction and "Mr. Goren, right this way." A white and gold lamp illuminated the small square table set for two. The Maitre'd pulled out her chair. When they were both seated, he said, "Have a wonderful evening."

A server came to their table, placing an ice bucket beside the table and opening a bottle which she carefully set in the ice. "Welcome to Giorgio's." She said. "The buffet is through that door" She gestured "Help yourself whenever you're ready. Shall I pour the champagne or would you prefer something else first?"

"Vodka Tonic?" Bobby asked looking her way. She nodded and he ordered for both of them.

The band began another set. Around them people were coming and going from the buffet, from the dance floor and from the lobby. It was easy just to watch and to listen.

Alex smirked. "It's like we're on the best stake out ever." She said.

"In that case," he said. "We'd better blend in." He stood and reached for her. "Care to dance?"

Alex nodded. She put her hand in his own and followed him onto the dance floor. He stood a little apart from her and slipped his hand around her waist; the other hand took her own in his and held it with gently. Leading with slight pressure and a confidence that always surprised her; he danced her around the floor. She was careful not to stand too close or lean too near and yet she was conscious of feeling comfortable in his arms and some part of her was pleased to be his partner. Still she couldn't look him in the eye as they danced. It was too direct and too intimate. Instead, she cast him furtive glances, but kept her focus over his shoulder.

When the music stopped, she asked, "Who taught you to dance?"

"Arthur Murray," he said referring to the popular dance studio chain. "When I was a senior."

She grinned. "How did you find the time between chess club and the library?"

He smiled down at her taking the joke. "I wanted to take someone special to the prom." He said.

"Did she appreciate the effort?"

"Turned me down," he said with a shrug. "I went to the movies instead."

"Her loss, my gain," Alex said giving his hand a squeeze. The music began again and they danced. When they returned to the table, their drinks had arrived. She sipped cautiously.

"Did you tell your family?" He asked

About tonight? She asked.

He nodded and picked up his glass. Alex smirked. "Colleen badgered all the details out of me in exchange for the shoes I'm wearing."

"They're nice shoes? " Bobby asked leaning over and moving the tablecloth for a look.

"They're _very_ nice shoes. Jewelled d'Orsay Made in Italy by Manolo Blahnik"

He nodded. "So I see." He said slowly still looking. "What was her reaction?" He asked when his gaze returned to meet hers.

Alex set down her glass. "Green with envy." She smiled brightly and then looked away. Her expression changed, because Colleen's reaction was linked to their father's disapproval and their mother's concern.

"What?" He asked.

Alex sighed, but finally said, "My dad figures gossip about this evening will end my career and my mother is certain you'll lead me astray."

"Well," he said carefully after a moment, "How about I lead you to the buffet?"

"That sounds even more dangerous." She said. "Lead on."

The buffet consisted of eight tables laden with food set on trays in cascading tiers. "It's too beautiful to eat." She said when they first came into the room.

"No it's not" Bobby countered. "Come on." It didn't take them long to fill their plates with delicacies. They returned for an entrée after a dance or two. Dessert however they left to savour until later in the evening. Its creamy richness was antidote to tired feet. They sipped coffee and nibbled tiny bites.

When dessert was finished, they returned to the dance floor and she was grateful to be the focus of his attention cocooned in his arms. She found herself more comfortable up close and by the time the countdown began and the dance floor crowded with couples, his proximity was no longer a worry; it was a comfort and a joy.

They faced one another as the countdown drew the year firmly to a close and as loud greetings of Happy New Year rang around them, they said it quietly to one another as though they were alone.

"Happy New Year Bobby."

"Happy New Year Alex."

Then as though it was the most natural thing, he leaned down, she tilted her head, and their lips met. Somewhere in the city, fire works rocketed skyward in celebration of the New Year, but it could have been for them. The explosions that lit the sky could have been a celebration of the sudden release of emotions long held and suddenly returned. The kiss lasted only moments, but the revelation of love returned healed past fractures and pain and laid a path to a wonder filled future.

The revival of the band and dancing around them broke their temporary communion. Bobby pulled her close and danced her once more and again around and around the dance floor. She felt as though she might burst from the sudden joy of it.

**_There's a little more to come. Thanks for reading. - Dix._**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Wish Fulfillment **_

_**Chapter 6**_

When the time came, Alex thought that she was ready to go. Her feet ached from dancing in unfamiliar shoes. She was light headed from too much champagne. Getting into the limo ahead of Bobby, she realized her mistake. She realized that going home meant going back. She'd felt like Cinderella all evening. The girl in the borrowed shoes who goes to the ball and dances with the prince. But now in the back of the limo, the magic slipped. She remembered that Cinderella got the prince and happily ever after, but the step sisters went home disappointed. She wasn't sure who she was going to be at the end of the limo ride. She knew what she wanted, but she didn't believe in fairy tales or happy endings. The thought lay like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

Unlike the first limo ride though, Bobby settled into a seat near her. She shivered before the driver made the first corner and Bobby wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer. She felt reassured by his gesture.

"Cold?" He asked.

She managed a nod, but no words for several minutes.

"A girl could get used to this." She said finally. Like all return journeys this one seemed to be taking half as long as the first trip. The buildings and bridges were flashing by at an alarming rate.

"You enjoyed yourself?" He asked.

"It was an amazing night, Bobby. Like a dream." She felt him relax a little. "Before," she said, "When I asked about your intentions?"

"Mmmhmm." He said, his response muffled in her hair.

"Why did you go to all this trouble?" She heard him inhale and hold his breath. He didn't answer for a moment. The rock in her stomach shifted and pinched.

Finally he exhaled and said, "To make you happy."

"A lot of expense and trouble, just to make me happy." she said leaning against him as the car cornered.

"I," he said slowly, "I wanted you to know how I feel about you."

She sat up and turned to face him. He put his hands together in his lap and squirmed under her gaze.

"How you feel about me?" It was a whisper.

She put a gloved hand on his arm. He looked down at her and then away. "How much you mean to me."

"Bobby?" She said. He looked at her again.

"I thought it was time I told you." He said. "Time I told you that I love you."

She shook her head. "You told me ~ just one night." She said. "That's what you told me. Just - one - night."

"You wouldn't have come if I'd dropped to one knee in the squad room and professed my love there. You would have thought I was crazy."

Alex began to laugh. "Crazy? I thought you'd completely lost your mind when you gave me the ticket. And when I told you that I'd come, I was certain I'd lost mine."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close and kissed her and she kissed him back. Cinderella she thought. I really am Cinderella.

Finally she pulled back but didn't let go, "Wait," she said. "One more thing."

"What," he said, intent and serious again.

"I love you too." She said. "I love you too."

**_Thanks for reading. Just a little more to come. - Dix_**.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Wish Fulfillment **_

_**Chapter 7**_

Alex was wrapped in the green fleece bathrobe her mother had given her for Christmas. She was leaning against the kitchen counter listening to the coffee drip through the machine when a knock at the backdoor startled her. She glanced through the kitchen window. Colleen was on the doorstep. Alex opened the door a fraction.

"Morning." Alex said cautiously.

Colleen laughed. "Afternoon, actually." She said. "So how was it?" She gave the door a gentle push and Alex relented.

"Later" Alex said quietly. Colleen crossed the threshold but Alex blocked her path holding the door and keeping her on the mat.

"I want to hear all about it." Colleen said. She was beginning to pull off her jacket but something in Alex's response stalled her action.

"Later," Alex said again enunciating each syllable distinctly. Colleen looked past Alex, searching for clues to her odd behaviour. She could hear the whine of the water pipes in the bathroom and saw the dark suit jacket draped over the back of chair. It took a moment for the signs to connect in her brain. Her eyes widened and she let out a low whistle.

"Alex!" She said with a wide grin. "What were you thinking?"

"Later." Alex said. "You can tell me what you think - later." But Colleen wasn't listening anymore. Bobby Goren had stepped into her line of vision.

His hair was damp, his chest and feet were bare. He had a bath towel wrapped carefully around his waist. He clutched the ends in one hand. Colleen backed out the door, crossed the threshold and went down the steps.

Unaware of Bobby's appearance, Alex continued, "And don't tell mom," Alex said calling after her. "Promise me Colleen. Not one word."

Colleen lifted a hand to wave, then she was out the gate and into the lane.

"She'll have us married before Easter." Alex said quietly watching her go.

"And what would be wrong with that?" Bobby asked. Alex turned at the sound of his voice.

"How long have you been standing there?" She demanded grinning.

"I thought you might need back up."

She shook her head and looked up at him. "I think you're out of uniform." She said putting a hand on his chest.

"Is this better?" he said dropping the towel, pulling her close and kissing her.

"Better." She said running her hands down his back. "But you might reconsider; my mother will be on the doorstep any minute now."

"She doesn't scare me." Bobby said.

"She'll want to know your intentions." Alex said laughing.

"Like mother like daughter?" He asked.

Alex nodded.

"No problem, but I think Valentines Day is better than Easter."

"For a second date?" She asked looking up trying to catch his expression.

He shook his head, "For a wedding."

"Don't joke around like that in front of my parents!" Alex said pulling away.

"Who's joking?" he asked pulling her near and kissing her neck.

_**Fin**_

_**Thank you for the avalanche of encouraging responses to this story. I haven't had a chance to respond personally to all of them, but I've read them all. I really appreciated hearing what parts of the writing affected you or directed your thinking about the story or the characters. - Dix**_


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